Arsenal v Newcastle: an amazing run of results, and the teams

by Bulldog Drummond

Continuing on from yesterday’s rummage around the news relating to today’s game, we might note that in the early part of the 20th century Newcastle twice had runs against us where they were not defeated in seven games against Arsenal, but nothing really prepared anyone for the two runs this century. Here’s the first run of ten games without defeat against the zebras…

Date

Match

Res

Score

Competition

02 Mar 2002

Newcastle United v Arsenal

W

0-2

Premier League

09 Mar 2002

Newcastle United v Arsenal

D

1-1

FA Cup

23 Mar 2002

Arsenal v Newcastle United

W

3-0

FA Cup

09 Nov 2002

Arsenal v Newcastle United

W

1-0

Premier League

09 Feb 2003

Newcastle United v Arsenal

D

1-1

Premier League

26 Sep 2003

Arsenal v Newcastle United

W

3-2

Premier League

11 Apr 2004

Newcastle United v Arsenal

D

0-0

Premier League

29 Dec 2004

Newcastle United v Arsenal

W

0-1

Premier League

23 Jan 2005

Arsenal v Newcastle United

W

1-0

Premier League

14 Aug 2005

Arsenal v Newcastle United

W

2-0

Premier League

and the current run of 11 games without defeat which includes nine consecutive wins…

Date

Match

Res

Score

Competition

05 Feb 2011

Newcastle United v Arsenal

D

4-4

Premier League

13 Aug 2011

Newcastle United v Arsenal

D

0-0

Premier League

12 Mar 2012

Arsenal v Newcastle United

W

2-1

Premier League

29 Dec 2012

Arsenal v Newcastle United

W

7-3

Premier League

19 May 2013

Newcastle United v Arsenal

W

0-1

Premier League

29 Dec 2013

Newcastle United v Arsenal

W

0-1

Premier League

28 Apr 2014

Arsenal v Newcastle United

W

3-0

Premier League

13 Dec 2014

Arsenal v Newcastle United

W

4-1

Premier League

21 Mar 2015

Newcastle United v Arsenal

W

1-2

Premier League

29 Aug 2015

Newcastle United v Arsenal

W

0-1

Premier League

02 Jan 2016

Arsenal v Newcastle United

W

1-0

Premier League

If we look at the playing style we can expect Arsenal to dominate possession once again, with Newcastle having 9794 touches so far to Arsenal’s 13,836 (we remain second in that particular chart), and they only make about 60% of the passes Arsenal make.

They are a little above us on Yellow Cards (28 to them, 24 to us), but neither club has had a player sent off in the League match.

But they do take shots – they are 9th in the league according to the number of shots (we are second) but where we really score is in hitting the woodwork. We’ve done that 10 times this season, more than any other club. Newcastle have managed it five times.

And here is a little snippet from the Newcastle Chronicle (another sign that an Untold preoccupation can spread to a wider audience…)

Referee: Stuart Atwell (Warwickshire)

Newcastle’s victories with Stoke and Palace coincided with Mr Atwell being in charge.

Well, well, what do you know. Someone else keeping tabs on refs, although not with any analysis of course.

And to the teams. Who might we put out. Here’s one line up that has been mentioned in dispatches…

Cech

Bellerin Koscielny Monreal Kolasinac

Wilshere Xhaka Ozil

Iwobi Lacazette Alexis

Yep it is a 4-3-3, although in reality with Xhaka holding back allowing Wilshere and Ozil to come forward and put through telling passes from left and right. It certainly ties up with Mr Wenger’s comments about what is needed to revitalise the team.

For what it is worth (which isn’t really much in the broader scheme of things) if we could get this format to work it could be incredible with those forwards having so many wonderful balls being played through to them. It would be like target practice.

That would leave on the beach a range of 11 from whom to choose seven…

I guess I would whittle that down to Ospina, Giroud, Mertesacker, Holding, Coquelin, Elneny, Welbeck. This is particularly hard on Maitland-Niles who really seems to be developing into a full back of quality. Let’s hope that the young lad doesn’t get whisked away elsewhere with promises of a bright and breezy future which then never materialises.

Also spotted training with the first team squad in the run up to this match were Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, Josh Dasilva and Joe Willock. I don’t think they will make the line up but it shows who is in contention for being brought through. They might make it for the League Cup game against the Whammers.

Right, that is it for now. We’re all off to our favourite north London public house as the Untold gathering of Water, Andrew, Blacksheep and Tony along with assorted friends from Arsenal Belgium, put the world to rights and (if usual form is followed) laugh a lot.

And I must agree, it is better than moaning and complaining how awful Arsenal is.

Walter asks me to remind our faithful following that because of his attendance at the match, there will be no instant report on the game. Tony adds that since he’ll be negotiating the M1 after the match and then dashing off to a dance he won’t be doing one either. And although I don’t mind doing previews, I don’t think I could do a match report. So sorry, a day of post match silence appears to be on the cards, at least until Sunday.

Morning Mr Drummond.
It looks like you’ve gone for the Gunners adopting a 4-3-3 playing formation style for this our home PL match today against the Zebra or the Magipies. But I can’t find Maitland-Niles in your starting lineup for the match. Why? Don’t you think or believe Le Boss should again start this young lad in the Newcastle game today after starting him in the West Ham game last Wednesday night? In my thinking, if this young chap is fully able to start again, I think Le Boss should start him in this our Newcastle game today to see if he can further prove his mettle in the PL and develop on his quality in the game for Arsenal. Although he looked to be yet fully be at 100% top quality game playing Gunner as he failed to read Oezil’s pass into the box and get on to it to hit the back of the net for Arsenal during the last stages of the Wes Ham match , but he has shown he can measure up to full Arsenal PL game standard when he played at London Stadium against the West Hammers where he shown he has the potential to become a top quality player able to mann the left wing back very well with calm, skill and confidence on the field of play. And he has a reported record of being able to mann multiple positions on the field of play for Arsenal trailing him.

I think Le Boss should revert to a back three defense-line for this match by shifting Kolasinac to left back. Then move Monreal to centre-half and allows Koscielny to mann the right full back. And of course the new entrant Maitland plays as left wing back but he could be exchanging positions with Kolasinac occasionally as the game demands and pans out. Bellerin MUST improve on his right wing back playing quality to start being productive for Arsenal again in the PL games and stop being lackluster for Arsenal overtime. He should stop passing back almost always but try to take on his opponent, beat him without losing control of the ball and play into the box to find his colleague with accurate pass or shoot accurately to the angle in the goal where the keeper can’t save. He manns the right wing back in this game of course but he could be replaced by Debuchy in the next Arsenal PL game if he doesn’t improve. But am I Le Boss?

Arsenal have only one choice today in their home PL match against Newcastle. And that only one choice which is a restart of their winning ways in the PL games MUST the Gunners embrace this afternoon at the Ems with both their hands, feet and heads and execute a win in this game to the letter for Arsenal.

I hope Wenger makes some changes. He must start Lacazette and we need some genuine pace and width. I’d start wellbeck wide or even give Reiss Nelson a start.
I’d rather start Coquelin as a DM than persevere with Xhaka at the moment. Also, I would drop Alexis.

The Wengerball concept is that the players do not run around but the ball does all the work. Apparently Citeh are the best team ever because they play our style of football (not admitted by any of the mejia plundits).

Curious time to blow the half time whistle… Alexis in possession at the top of the box, setting up to shoot…whistle blows. I am not sure what referees are told to do in that situation but it is a no-win for them…A clock that stops when play stops removes any hint of impropriety.

This shows the quality of Arsenal, struggling against a bottom three side.
Just not good enough, something is wrong seriously with our game.
Its not good anymore, its boring, predictable and actually disgusting for a team of Arsenal’s stature.

The fact that my emotions don’t even run as high as before tells a lot.
Just passive resignation to all that happens, and acceptance of the bad performances and tactical finesse of Arsenal.

Arghhhh

I must say, i am now a Arsene Wenger out person.
The team needs to change and only a new manager can do this at this stage.
We have good players, but they are being ruined by AW’s style and rigid incompetence and management.
Sad that i have to say this, but it is glaringly obvious to me now.
Time for him to pack it in now.

Thank God for the win. 3 points are in the Arsenal points bag at the Ems through Mesut Oezil’s lob shot into the back of the net of Newcastle. But watching the Gunners playing this evening in their match against the Magipies, Arsenal need a rivival before they host Liverpool in the Premier League next Friday night. Bellerin was again a washout in the game for Arsenal today as he’s looking worse by the game for Arsenal. And Xhaka with his long range shots that never went in at London Stadium last Wednesday night and at the Ems today was lackluster in the game for Arsenal. Alexis, Lacazette, Wilshere, Iwobi and Maitland were uninspiring in the game for Arsenal. While Giroud and Welbeck were as if they didn’t play for Arsenal today as they were missing in the game for Arsenal.

These are stats from one of the best PL team! How can one say Wenger can do tactics (btw, football is not chess or go game. Tactics are known by most of the coaches)

But we didn’t win the game. After the game, I had to fight all night, defending Arsenal style on french forums, facing fans from other teams asssuming: “You may have ultra-dominated. But only the result counts. Beautifull game is shit. Goals are the only thing that matters”
So yes, let’s be honest, I also wonder why we can’t score more. There’s obviously something to fix. Maybe Wenger is not a “psychologist” like the Ego One. But he shows he can manage a team and produce not only beautiful play but good games, with many opportunities. The efficiency is not relying on Wenger’s tactic… probably more in a state of mind of players. I still can’t see there a reason for a Wenger-out call.

For me football is not just about my team winning, it is about going to the game and meeting friends.

And never more so than today. It wasn’t just meeting with Andrew and Blacksheep as happens quite often, but Walter and our friends from Belgium.

And beyond all that seeing one of our friends who had been incredibly all, so much better – better than I could ever have believed possible.

All these people I met up with today I would never have known had it not been for Arsenal – and indeed also because of Untold.

Of course the football is important and I feel much better when we win than when we lose, but if the choice had been given to me I’d have accepted 10000 defeats to see my friend thriving, compared to a few years ago.

Football brings us together and gives us friendships which (for me even if for no one else) become much more important than football. That old Liverpool thing of football not being a matter of life and death – its much more important than that – is rubbish.

Another game missed, but as I switched to the live sky feed it flashed as Mesut scored the only and winning goal obviously. My heart lifted and the grey skies disappeared from view.

A average performance where we dominate possession but the key is that man scored and won the game with a scintillating finish, in the scheme of things it couldn’t have gone better.

Meanwhile the fixtures see us softening up yet another team for our rivals! Hmm…..

City see off another team having now almost beaten everyone in just half a season and headed towards an unprecedented points total should they manage to emulate that performance in the second half of the season.

Movement is certainly the issue so well spotted my fellow gooner, both defensively and offensively and that isn’t all down to the manager.

The imbalance is down to the lack of a holding mid who relishes the tasks as does Kante. For me that only further evidences the need for an outright DM further as the recent yet unfortunate ineptitude of Per and Shkodran with holding clearly not deemed ready as demonstrated by the formerly left back at CB.

Money can’t fix a lot of things, but investment in these two areas is paramount and would likely see us move much closer to the leagues dominant force.

Hector is young and at that age, forgiven already, we need to consider mental and physical burn out. I look forward to Cohens return and also that if the loanees for assessment!

Conte looks as if he may consider a parting of the ways and old Jose is under pressure like none before, seems to struggle more the bigger the club am for the greater the stature (wages) of his players!

Nobody wins as much as City have and nobody gets a straight run in this league, twists yet to come.

What Mesut proved today is that even the most apparently lethargic of players may have something too drawer and that is inspiring, I need the players who don’t want to lead to lead, those who do not covet power wield it best. Greatness is thrust upon you.

What I am most happy about is the return to a 4-3-3 Fate conspired.

The spuds and the Koop are in trouble and that makes me smile, Dyche is proving a splendid manager, the trouble will be supplementing that ageing squad with players who have the same ethic as the current squad sat 5th ahead of the two afore mentioned teams. Oh right replacing a Fergie post crash team or the invincible a or quad of Pep is hard, oh and only one man has dared to try.

We pretty much are stuck for reinforcements until summer so let’s cement that too four and continue working towards the title, you play 90+ you play until it is mathematically impossible, against the odds because you have one of the best jobs in the world and you love it and you love to win. It’s all I know answers it’s all I expect.

8 points to United is an away win and a couple of losses, to Coty it’s an away win and a handful of vengeful enemies who might notice a squad member missing here or there could be the difference, Pogba worked that out and tried to take Hector.

I don’t think some of the Chelsea team want it, I don’t think the spuds can emulate their last two seasons. I don’t think Jose will get away with picking the same squad all season and don’t think the fringe players fail to note his track record. Mata and Felaini as well as Miki look jettisoned along with Shaw and if I know that, they surely do. And if City can keep avoiding injuries and keep winning I’ll eat ky own shorts.

Its simple probability and analysis.

It took a whole lot of cheating and corruption to stem another CL appearance and will take the same to rewrite the history books. Yeah yeah they won 1 more in a row, because for them ffp is a joke.

Yeah it really isn’t fantasy manager.

Mesut, show them World Cup 06 style, bring Alexis back to life.

We keep what we have and we add to it, waiting for spaces to open up. Do you let 100m walk out the door or do you pay them what you owe them! I think the latter, just play and play, for pride boys!

COYG

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